Fire-escape.



W. c.' BURGfE.

FIRE ESCAPE Patented Apr. 25

Inventor Attorneys 1H: NcRms PETERS no., wAsHmaroN, n. cA

WILLIAM CARTER BURGE, OF GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, 1.911.

Application filed October 2, 1909. Serial No. 520,607.

To all whom 'it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. BURGE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Greensboro, in the county of Guilford and State of NorthCarolina, have invented a new and useful Fire-Escape, of which thefollowing is a specilication.

It is the object of the invention to provide an improved construction oflire escape and the invention relates more particularly to that class ofsuch structures which are permanently secured upon the wall of abuilding and which embody a balcony and a step structure leading fromthe balcony.

In the drawings there is shown a perspective view of the lire escapeembodying the present invention.

In the figure of the drawings, the escape is illustrated as including,among other ele ments, a rail 1 which is formed from a length of rodmaterial bent near one end as at 2 and secured at the extremity of itsbent portion in the building wall upon which the escape is mounted. Therail 1 is also bent at 3 so as to constitute a hand rail both for thebalcony and for the stairway structure. At its opposite end, the rail isbent to extend downwardly vertically as at 4 and bent to extend towardthe building wall as at 5, it being secured at the extremity of its lastmentioned portion in the -said wall. In addition to the hand rail 1there is provided a hand rail 6 formed of a suitable length of rodmaterial bent at its ends and secured in the wall of the building uponwhich the escape is' mounted. This hand rail 6 corresponds in length andin function` to that portion ot' the hand rail 1 extending between thebend 3 and the portion 1, or in other words, constitutes the other handrail for the stair structure.

Inasmuch as the portions of the rail 1 between the bend 2 and theportion 4 is considerably spaced from the wall of the building, it isnecessary that means be provided for supporting and bracing this portionof the rail and this means is embodied in brackets 7 secured upon thewall and projecting therefrom and hanger rods 8 which are suspended fromthe outer ends of the brackets and at their lower ends are secured tothe said portion of the rail 1. In addition to the brackets 7 and hangerrods 8, the rail 1 is supported by a rigid brace rod 9 which rod issecured at its upper end in the wall and at its lower end is bent aroundthe rail l at the bend 2 therein.

A rod 10 is bent at right angles near each end to form suspending arms11 and at their upper ends these arms are bent one around the rail 6 atits upper end and the other around the rail 1 at its upper end, the saidmember lying close to the wall. To the connecting portion of the member10 are secured the ends of the horizontal arms 12 of frame members 13,these members being formed from rod material bent between its ends toform right angularly extending portions. The vertically extendingportion of each frame member is secured to the rail 1 between t-he bends2 and 3. A rod 14 is secured at its ends to the end ones of the saidframe members 13 at their bends. A diagonally extending brace rod 15 issecured at its upper end to the upper end of the rail 1 and at its lowerend to the adjacent one of the frame members 13.

The stairway structure includes members formed from lengths of rodmaterial bent to form each a long arm 16, a shorter arm 17 and aconnecting portion 18 and these members are secured at the upper ends oftheir arms 15 and 17 to the rail 1 between the bend 3 and the portion 4and to the rail 6 between its ends. It will be observed that the saidmembers at each side of the stair way struct-ure are arranged orsuspended with the longer arm 16 of one member next to the shorter arm17 of the member next above. The connecting portions 18 are all,however, horizontal. Connecting rods 19 are secured therein to oppositeones or' the frame members at the point of juncture of their longer armswith their connecting portions and similar rods 20 are secured at theirends to the said opposite ones of the frame members at the points.ofjuncture of their shorter arms 17 and their connecting portions andthese latter rods 20 also have their ends bent or otherwise secured tothe longer arms 16 which rest against the said arms 17. Cross rods 21connect the connecting portions 18 of opposite ones of the frame membersof which the portions 18 constitute a art. p A strip of heavy wire meshindicated by the numeral 23 is extended over the arms 12 of the framemembers of the balcony and over each cross rod 20 and 21 but beneath thecross rods 19 so that leading from the balcony is a series of steps asshown in the figure of the drawings.

What is claimed is: n

l. In a structure ofthe class described, a hand rail constituting thehand rail of a balcony and stair frame, a rail positioned opposite aportion of the first mentioned rai1,` a hanger suspended from the tWorails, frame members suspended from the hanger and the iirst mentionedrail, stair frame members suspended from the said hand rail and arrangedopposite each other7 cross rods connecting opposite ones of the stairframe members, and a sheet of iooring material extending over portionsof the iirst mentioned frame members and over certain of the cross rodsand beneath others of the cross rods.

2. In a structure of the class described, a hand rail constituting thehand rail of a balcony and stair frame, a rail positioned opposite aportion of the irst mentioned rail, a hanger suspended from the t-Worails,

frame members suspended from the hanger and the rst mentioned rail,stair frame members suspended from the said hand rail and arrangedopposite each other, cross rods connecting opposite ones of the stairframe members, and a sheet of flooring material extending over portionsof the iirst mentioned frame members and over certain of the cross rodsand beneath others of the cross rods7 the stair frame members consistingeach of a length of rod material bent to form a long and a short arm anda connecting portion bet-Ween the arms, the arms being secured at theirupper ends to the rcspective hand rails.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoatlixed'my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM CARTER BURGE.

Witnesses D. F. HAYES, J. D. KAsn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

